PR Disaster

I'm struggling with a problem about a piece I am supposed to be setting up in a country which had better remain nameless.

It's quite a big story and has been commissioned and scheduled, but the tourist board has seriously bungled the arrangements. Bungled to the point where it looks as if I may have to consider telling the editor I can't do the story.

I won't, of course - I have some other options up my sleeve - but the moral is, if you want to be a travel writer, find out how the travel biz works. That way you have a chance to rescue the situation if the PR is incompetent.

I hasten to add that 99 percent of the time, PRs and tourist board people are brilliant.